Method of removing scale from metal pipes.



O. THIBODEAU. METHOD 0F EEMOVING SCALE PROM METAL PIPBS. running unsuov.1a, 1901.

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qmlhnww C. THIBODEAU. METHOD 0F BBMOVING SCALE FROM METAL PIPEB.

APPLIOATIOI FILED NOV. 13. 1907.

Patented Aug. 24. 1909.

@9i/Imanes: ovm f m y spective rolls screws 12 in manner similar to thatdescribed with respect to shafts 2, 3.

Any suitable number of pairs of rolls may be provided for the purposehaving the passes between the rolls aimed, the pairs of rolls being inrelatively close proximity to each other as illustrated, and thearrangement of the adjustable shafts is such that uniform pressure ofall the rolls may be exerted upon the pi e being treated, whereby thefirst pair of ro will be adjusted to exert sufiicl'ent pressure upon thepipe passing between them to loosen the scale'on the exterior andinterior of the pipe with slight alteration ofthe diameter 4of the i e,and whereby the second pair of rolls, w e exerting the same ressure onthe pipe asthe first air of rollii, the pressure of the ipe by theifi'erent pairs of rolls being in of direction at right angles to eachother has no further tendency to reduce the sizc of the ipe, but servesto remove any flat places t at may have formed in the ipe by the first'pair of rolls and td keep tiiepipc straight. Where more than two pairsof rolls are used the axes of ad'acent pairs of rolls are arrangedsubstantially at right anles to each other, as shown in Fig. 2, wherehave shown four pairs of rolls arranged to operate in manner`set forthrespecting rolls 4 and 5 and their shafts 2 and 3, iwhereb f theadjustable shafts of al1 the pairs of rol s may be similarly adjusted tocause their reto exert uniform' pressure upon 1 e.

iihel rolls are to rotate in aforward direction and at the same surfacespeed so as to carry the pipe or tubing between them from one end to theotherand the corresponding pairs of shafts'are geared together so thattheir ad'oining surfaces will respectively rotate su stantiallly asshown by the arrows in Fig, 4. For t lis purpose I have shown gears 18,19 on the pairs of, shafts and res ectively meshing as shown, and of ualameter to cause the surface s eeds o the rolls to be the same. To drivea the rolls and their shaftsin the same direction at the 'same speed Ihave shown a drive shaft 20 journaled in suitable bearings 21 on frame 1.and carrying gears 22 meshing with gears 23 carried by shafts 24extending across frame 1 and supported in suitable bearings and carryingat their opposite ends each a gear 25 meshing with a ear 23 on shafts 2Jto drive the upward y' inclined shafts on the side of the frame oppositeshaft 20. Upon shaft 20 is also secured a gear 27 that meshes with agear 28- secured on cross shaft 429 journaled 1n frame 1, which shaft 29carries a gear 30 meshin with a. gear 31 secured on a shaft 32 journ edin frame 1 on the side opposite shaft 20. Secured to shaft, 32 are gears33 that mesh with gears 34 secured on shaftsv 35 journaled in andextending across frame 1. Shafts 35, at their ends' opposite gears 34,carry gears 36 that mesh with gears 37 secured on shafts14. Thearrangement of the gearing shown is such that when shaft 20 is rotatedin a suitable direcmay be arran ed as shown inFig. 5. For

this purpose t e upper end of the shaft is shown reduced in diameterproviding a shoulder a, and the roll fits upon said re'- duced end ofthe shaft and against said shoulder, suitable means, such asa ke 38being provided between theshaft an roll for rotating the latterby theformer,`and a nut 39 screwed u on the outer end of the shaft holds theroll securely thereon and in true osition against the should'er. B yhaving t e rolls detachably connected Wlth the shafts on the portionsabove and beyond the bearings for the shafts, the rolls may be readilyremoved and replaced without distu rbing t e shafts in their bearings.

ln tre ing the ipe to loosen and remove, the scale from t e interior andexterior thereof, and also to maintain as nearly as possible theoriginal diameter of the pi ebelng treated, by the rolls, I adjust althe rolls to exert uniform pressure upon the pipe, and cause the rollsto exert such light pressure upon the pipe as will be just sufficient toloosen the scale on the walls of the pipe while reducing the diameter'of the pip'e as little as possible. The light pressure of the first pairof rolls u on the pipe will loosen the scale and as t e `remaining rollsare adjusted to exert a pressure on the ipe that is uniform with thefirst pair of ro no further reduction of the -diameter of the pipe willbe made b the remaining rolls, and this is also effects b having uniformsurface speed of all the ro s so that there will be no tendency todistort the pipe by a non-uniform action thereon of any of the rolls.

By arranging the adjacent pairs of rolls with their axes substantiallyat right angles to each otherthe effect is that if the first air ofrolls should roduce afiat or indentedp ace or surface in t e pipe or.tubing passing between them, the-next adjacent pair of rolls running atright angles to the first named pair, will so act upon said pie as saidfiat places or surfaces such uneven or distorted portion of the pipe andrestore the latter to its normalpr original condition, and the remainingpalrs of rolls will continue to so-act on any remalmng to removepressure on distorted or raised parts of the pipe. As the rolls throughwhich the pipe asses after being acted upon by the iirst pair of rollsdo not exert any greater ressure on the pipe than the first pair of rols, there is no tendency of the remaining rolls to reduce flat places inthe pipe but they mere `ylgaet to remove flat laces in the pipe made ythe first pair of ro s, and assist m feeding the pipe without alteringits diameter, and, further serve to maintain the straightness of thepipe and prevent the same from bending or twisting 1n its passage'through the machine. Furthermore, the arran ement of having thedifferent pairs of rolls a jacent to each other 'with their axes at anangle to each other is such that the eiiect of any one pair of saidrolls in squeezing the pi e for removing the scale must necessarily Ibelimited or controlled by the action of the pair or pairs of rollsadjacent thereto, with the result of adding one force to another andthereby forming a resultant force which has a diierent effect fromeither force acting independently. For example, while the compression ofthe pipe at a particular place produced by one pair of rolls mustexten-d along the wall of the pi e beyond such rolls as far as theadjacent ro ls, the compressing force exerted by such pair of rollswould necessarily be met substantially one-half way between said rollsand the adjacent rolls by the compressing force exerted by the lastmentioned rolls. The Walls of the pi e are thus manipulated to a degreenot be ore known whereb the scale from the pipe is more effective yremoved. I am aware that pipes have been passed between rolls to loosenthe scale, but such rolls as known to me have not been located with theaxes of one pair of rolls at an angle to the axes of another pair ofrolls and the force exerted upon the pipe by one such pair of rolls inline with the force exerted u on the pipe by the other pair of rolls,and ence the same character of operation is not produced as inaccordance with my invention. I am also aware that rolls have beenprovided with passes between them of unequal diameter and which revolveat different sgeeds, and also that rolls have b een provide at an a leto each otherforpollsh- 1n round bars. uch arrangement o angular ydisposed rolls, have not, so far as I am aware, been provided forloosening the scale upon and within pipxe whereb the first pair o rollswill loosen t e scale o the pipe, and the second air 0i rolls willremove Hat places formed in the pipe by the first pair of rolls andrestore and preserve the cylindrical form of the pipe without reducingthe diameter of the same. y

The articular arrangement of gcarin g n nd other etails of constructionshown und described may be variedwithin the scope ol' the appended claimwithout departing rom the splrit of my invention.

Having now described my invention what I claim is:

The method of removing scale from the wall of metal pipe, consistingl inapplying sufficient pressure to the exterior wall thereof to remove thescale without materially reducing the diameter of said pi e, saidpressure beine applied in lines o direction at right angles to eachother and at points in close proximity and caused to travel lon0fitudinally with respect to the pipe, whereby the shape of the lpe ispreserved.

Signed at Che sea, in the county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts,this eleventh day of November, A. D. 1907.

CHARLES THIBODEAU.

Witnesses:

CHAs. F. PERKINS, EvERE'r'r N. Cmrris.

